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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Help! Help! Get the Petals Off Of Me!!!

Echinacea 'Fancy Frills' looks like it's under attack, or, bursting with some petal fungus, or just unable to stop itself so that one day, when you're walking your garden early in the morning, you'll come up to this plant and see hundreds of petals scattered about the bed--and on top of the stalk the caved in remnants of the cone itself, looking like some c4 had its way with it. Reminds me of when I had a 24 hour flu last month and puked at least a dozen times uncontrollably, neverendingly (I teach English, I can make up words thank you). "For the love of God, someone, please help me stop making so many petals!"

This concludes the week's look at coneflower cultivars. I'd like to thank my sponsors: Pfizer, Miracle Grow, and General Dynamics.

Kylee--Really? Are you sure?GG--Well shoot, I hope that's just the screen setting being not right, but on my screen it sure does look pepto. Nancy--I don't know, I think it's a strane looking coneflower. I'm a coneflower purist--I've chosen this flower with which to get my undies in a bunch.Mr. Franklin--Yes, indeed. Wal-Mart belongs up there for sure. Lord I despise that place.

but i did scroll down-the flowers are what catches my eye since i am a gardener. i see you are not happy with the breeding of these coneflowers-but i am not following the sponsorship comment. maybe i am a bit dense-are those three the breeders of these coneflowers?

Benjamin, this has been a great public service indeed... but you missed one. If 'Fancy Frills' is trying to escape its ugly tutu, then 'Double Decker' needs to fidget its way out of its silly, outsized petal hat!

The only thing I like about 'Double Decker' is its alternate name: 'Doppelganger.'

Kim, you're right, of course. But I was leaving the most obvious out, assuming everyone was very familiar with that most awful, awful flower. Maybe a post is needed anyway. I can't believe anyone buys double decker, but they do. I've not seen it here in NE, which surprise me, since we are coneflowerville.

Kylee--Oh you can like them if you want. If we had a monoculture of people, or plants, life would stink. And just because you're wrong doesn't make you any less of a person. :) At least you don't have double decker!

Thanks for speaking the truth at last. Some really monster cone flowers have come out in the last three or four years, and the American "horticultural industry" promotes them like crazy. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Here we have yet another face of industrial agriculture (get them Michael Pollan).

James--Thanks for stopping in! Boy, there is nothing that cheeses me more these days than coneflowers not looking like coneflowers; I think they're a very interesting and unique plant, and now they're either looking like others or, in the case of 'Doubledecker,' looking like they need to be put down. I don't think Pollan can save us--we have to stop buying this junk.

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